Cricket owes James Anderson

2 minute readLike most bowlers, James Anderson is frequently up against it. Modern pitches are generally against him, overseas conditions are often against him and the fixture list is always against him. However, like a fat man’s old belt, Jimmy hasn’t buckled in a long, long time. Fit for purpose Most of

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England’s bowling captain

< 1 minute readMike Selvey made an interesting point in his third Test match report cum series review. “No captain of any consequence does so in isolation. Instead he is a facilitator relying heavily on the sort of input of ideas from his bowlers that cannot come from elsewhere.” When he isn’t scoring

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James Anderson’s 30 this year

< 1 minute readThis might not seem all that significant. After all, not a year – not one single year – goes by without some international cricketer or other turning 30. This is different though. James Anderson was one of those players who loomed into view early in life and we still think

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Zaheer Khan and James Anderson

2 minute readWe’re all pretty lucky, you know. For the next few weeks, we’re going to get Zaheer Khan one innings and then James Anderson the next. It’s like our metabolism has suddenly allowed us a curry-pizza-curry-pizza diet. No muesli. What follows isn’t really meant to be a comparison. It’s more about

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The James Anderson plan

< 1 minute readEngland showed us Plan A today – James Anderson beheads the innings with the new ball and then returns to sweep away the ankles with the second new ball. But you’re aware how fragile it is. Today it worked, but even after taking three wickets in 2.1 overs, Australia still

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Listen to the tin!

< 1 minute readUnsure how to approach opening the bowling in the Ashes? Simply consult ‘the tin’. “Jimmy does what it says on the tin – he swings it both ways at pace with the new ball.” – Peter Moores The tin is clearly very wise.

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